Looking to move to Denver area from New york.

[DougStark]

Not to sound rude, what what is it with all of these people suddenly wanting to move to Denver?

No mistake- it has a lot to offer, but this may not be the right time to move there because the supply of housing to demand is temporarily out of whack! If you want mountains and their associated recreation, virtually every big city in the west has them.

Plus, the earlier poster was correct. Most residents live on the high plains or the front range foothills. Cities undergoing growing pains like Denver can and do generate temporary quality of life problems new residents don't initially anticipate (traffic, outrageous rents, lack of jobs, etc.)

Bottom line, go for it! But know there are other cities that want your business too

[robertgoodman]

Originally Posted by DougStark

Not to sound rude, what what is it with all of these people suddenly wanting to move to Denver?

No mistake- it has a lot to offer, but this may not be the right time to move there because the supply of housing to demand is temporarily out of whack! If you want mountains and their associated recreation, virtually every big city in the west has them.

Plus, the earlier poster was correct. Most residents live on the high plains or the front range foothills. Cities undergoing growing pains like Denver can and do generate temporary quality of life problems new residents don't initially anticipate (traffic, outrageous rents, lack of jobs, etc.)

Bottom line, go for it! But know there are other cities that want your business too

It's not suddenly. It's been happening since the great recession (you could argue longer but it accelerated rapidly shortly after that).

We weren't hit as hard as other cities in the recession so we recovered faster than other cities, we were also making some investments in our core that a younger generation found desirable, that combined with the existing accessibility to outdoor activities led to a lot of press and people thinking Denver was a good city to move to. Demand skyrocketed, and supply lagged demand. As a result of that lag in supply prices went up dramatically.

Affordability used to be a reason to move here, it's not so much anymore -unless you are coming from LA, DC, NYC etc.- but people still want to come here for other reasons.

[dhden2000]

If it were me, looking to move to Colorado to enjoy the mountains, I would find a career/job that put me in the mountains to both live and work. I also don't see the big draw to Denver proper itself. Yea you are not far from the mountains and recreational opportunities abound but unless you can go up there during the week or at odd times you are just sitting in traffic coming and going from the mountains which kind of takes the fun out of it IMO.

[SunshineDreams]

I agree with what sunderpig mentions about the difference between vacation and living here. I visited about every 3-6 months for about 3 years before moving here about 6 months ago. On those trips, I could afford to spend and enjoy the state semi-frivolously.

As a resident now, I have to regularly stay on top of what I can and cannot afford. For example, as opposed to getting my own place in the mountains for snowsports, I split places with others or stay with friends.

When I first got to Colorado as a resident, it took me a few months to snap out of vacation mode. Luckily, I'd been planning this move for about 2 years and so had enough saved up but it was still kind of shocking to wake up one day and realize that there are a lot of responsibilities associated with living here and it's not enough to just plan for those responsibilities but also to consciously stay on top of them once you arrive.

I will say it has been tough but not impossible as a 23 year old. My friend in his mid 30's moved here in his late 20's and said he wondered if waiting a few more years would have allowed him more stability in getting used to the state. I made the trade-off because I am probably going to live here for the rest of my life and wanted to get settled sooner rather than later.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by robertgoodman

It's not suddenly. It's been happening since the great recession (you could argue longer but it accelerated rapidly shortly after that).

We weren't hit as hard as other cities in the recession so we recovered faster than other cities, we were also making some investments in our core that a younger generation found desirable, that combined with the existing accessibility to outdoor activities led to a lot of press and people thinking Denver was a good city to move to. Demand skyrocketed, and supply lagged demand. As a result of that lag in supply prices went up dramatically.

Affordability used to be a reason to move here, it's not so much anymore -unless you are coming from LA, DC, NYC etc.- but people still want to come here for other reasons.

Robert, thanks for that excellent explanation. Prior to your comment, my "knee jerk" reaction led me to believe the Denver flurry was spearheaded by the legalization of rec. MJ.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by dhden2000

If it were me, looking to move to Colorado to enjoy the mountains, I would find a career/job that put me in the mountains to both live and work. I also don't see the big draw to Denver proper itself. Yea you are not far from the mountains and recreational opportunities abound but unless you can go up there during the week or at odd times you are just sitting in traffic coming and going from the mountains which kind of takes the fun out of it IMO.

I hear this often from some who really do not know this area well.

What you do not realize there is tremendous recreational amenities on plains and in the foothills that are easily reached. There are large expanses open space, parks, trails and water resources in all the counties on the plains and the foothills. There are tremendous amount of parks in all the cities with their own trails, open space and waterways. Many of these interconnect to each other and to the nearby mountain recreational lands that extent to the foothills.

So what we know who live here, we can find get quickly to nearby outdoor recreation after a day of work without going deep into the mountains. Also when we go the mountains, we also know many more side canyons that take up to the road less traveled with none of traffic you think has to be endured to parks and open space less known to outsiders.

Look at the map and you will see what I am talking about. Just a few of the examples very near where I live in Arvada:

There is all the parks and open space in Jefferson County
Jeffco Open Space Parks and Trails - Jefferson County, Colorado with many of the parks in and near the metro area.

There is Eldorado Canyon State Park, off 93 just south of Boulder
Colorado Parks & Wildlife - Eldorado Canyon

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/pa...eaBrochure.pdf

There is, believe it or not, a Federal Wildlife Refuge in the middle Arvada
Home - Two Ponds - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

There is the trails along Clear Creek
Clear Creek Trail, Wheat Ridge, Colorado designated National Recreation Trails

There is Parks and Trails in Arvada
http://maps.arvada.org/opendata/pdf/...p_Brochure.pdf

Denver is very well known for its parks has in the City. Denver also has expansive parks in the mountains.
https://www.denvergov.org/content/de...ion/parks.html

Let us not forget that the Platte flows through the area and has extensive parks, trails and other waterways with their trails that flow into the Platte like Bear Creek, Clear Creek etc.--all are interconnected.

South Platte River Trail - Walk Ride Colorado

I can go on and on etc. etc. There is no need to always go into the mountains for the bounty of outdoor recreation. Obviously many more than you know that more job opportunities with much higher pay exist on the plains. In addition, I tell you a little secret--the weather is much better than living in the mountains but are still nearby enough for most of us when we have the desire.

Livecontent

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by dhden2000

If it were me, looking to move to Colorado to enjoy the mountains, I would find a career/job that put me in the mountains to both live and work. I also don't see the big draw to Denver proper itself. Yea you are not far from the mountains and recreational opportunities abound but unless you can go up there during the week or at odd times you are just sitting in traffic coming and going from the mountains which kind of takes the fun out of it IMO.

It's wonderful this is a big country because we can pick and choose what suits each of us, in this case location/climate wise.

I, on the other hand, would never want to live in Colorado's mountains. A weekend trip is great. Too much snow, cold, isolation for me. I could handle Denver's climate, though, since the snow melts fast and the summer nights are cool. We are lucky to live in America.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by DougStark

Not to sound rude, what what is it with all of these people suddenly wanting to move to Denver?

No mistake- it has a lot to offer, but this may not be the right time to move there because the supply of housing to demand is temporarily out of whack! If you want mountains and their associated recreation, virtually every big city in the west has them.

Plus, the earlier poster was correct. Most residents live on the high plains or the front range foothills. Cities undergoing growing pains like Denver can and do generate temporary quality of life problems new residents don't initially anticipate (traffic, outrageous rents, lack of jobs, etc.)

Bottom line, go for it! But know there are other cities that want your business too

Agreed. There are other cities--especially smaller cities like Salt Lake City, Reno, Sacramento, Albuquerque, Boise, that have access to mountain recreation, plenty of things to do in town, and have much lower costs of living than Denver. Some of them, especially the first two on that list, even have better access to mountains than Denver. If you're just looking for general labor jobs, don't have any specific career or family that tie you to Denver, then why move to Denver and put up with the higher costs (and longer distances from the mountains, if that is one of the objects of moving)? There may be better options.

[ravensfan84]

Actually i dont smoke or drink...which are 2 of the big pro's in Denver...

Im really an outdoorsy person, and being from tri-state area where life is quite hectic itself I feel i can make it anywhere in this country.

But like we have stated, its not that easy when you don't have a job/place in the area you would like to move to.

I did consider Salt Lake City as well, but Denver does seem to have alot more to do, a bigger city.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by DougStark

Not to sound rude, what what is it with all of these people suddenly wanting to move to Denver?

The population of Colorado has only gone up. Since the 1860 census to now, its only gone up. Granted, it is going up faster lately, nearly 100k a year worth, so it seems more drastic now than in decades past.